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blunt-leaf bogmoss, blunt-leaf peat-moss, prairie sphagnum

Habit Plants moderate-sized to robust, strong-stemmed, lax to somewhat compact, capitulum somewhat flattened to more typically compact and rounded; green to golden brown to pale brown with often a pinkish tinge; carpets to more or less compact, low to moderate sized hummocks. Plants robust and weak-stemmed; yellow to light brown; capitulum flat-topped and with ± conspicuous terminal bud.
Stem(s)

leaves to 1.7 × 1 mm, occasionally longer; rarely hemiisophyllous;

hyaline cells non-ornamented, nonseptate.

leaves equilateral triangular, 0.8–1.1 mm; often spreading;

apex more or less obtuse;

leaves often spreading;

hyaline cells usually septate and often fibrillose in proximal half of leaf.

Branches

long and tapering, leaves ± imbricate to spreading in shade forms.

unranked, ± straight, leaves moderately elongated at distal end.

Branch leaves

broadly ovate, 2.2 × 1.3 mm, hyaline cells non-ornamented, convex surface with elliptic pores along the commissures, chlorophyllous cells isosceles-triangular to ovate-triangular in transverse section and just enclosed to just exposed on the convex surface;

end wall not thickened.

ovate-lanceolate, less than 2.2 mm, straight; undulate and sharply recurved when dry;

margins entire;

hyaline cells on convex surface with 0–1 apical pores and often with pseudopores, concave surface with to 12 round wall thinnings in cell angles and sometimes along commissures; chlorophyllous cells triangular in transverse section, just enclosed on the concave surface and broadly exposed on the convex surface.

Sexual condition

dioicous.

unknown.

Capsule

with numerous pseudostomata.

Spores

24–33 µm, surface finely papillose to smooth, distal surface with distinct bifurcated Y-mark sculpture;

proximal laesura more than 0.6 spore radius.

not seen.

Branch

fascicles with 2 spreading and 2 pendent branches.;

branch stems with hyaline cells non-ornamented;

no or weak funnel-like projections on the interior end walls, often with 1 large pore per cell on superficial cell walls.

fascicles with 2 spreading and 1–2 pendent branches.;

branch stems green, with cortex enlarged with conspicuous retort cells.

Sphagnum palustre

Sphagnum mcqueenii

Phenology Capsules mature mid to late summer.
Habitat Widespread in forested fens and poor to rich sedge fens Habitat poorly understood, but known from floating mats in poor fen habitats
Elevation low to moderate elevations low to moderate elevations
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CA; CT; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; BC; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; Europe; Pacific Islands
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
ME; NH; PA; VT; NF
Discussion

Sphagnum palustre may occur elsewhere than listed above, but the taxonomy is unclear. In some open-grown situations, it may have a reddish tinge and seem similar to S. magellanicum, but this is a pinkish red color rather than the purplish red of the latter. See discussions under 5. S. henryense and 9. S. papillosum for distinction from those species.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Sporophytes of Sphagnum mcqueenii are unknown. Sphagnum torreyanum and S. atlanticum both have longer, narrower, and less sharply recurved branch leaves than does S. mcqueenii. Both S. cuspidatum and S. viride have acute stem leaves as compared to the obtuse stem leaves of this species. Sphagnum pulchrum has 5-ranked branch leaves and apiculate stem leaves, which contrast strongly with the unranked branch leaves and obtuse stem leaves of this species.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 27, p. 53. FNA vol. 27, p. 72.
Parent taxa Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Sphagnum Sphagnaceae > Sphagnum > sect. Cuspidata
Sibling taxa
S. affine, S. alaskense, S. andersonianum, S. angermanicum, S. angustifolium, S. annulatum, S. aongstroemii, S. arcticum, S. atlanticum, S. austinii, S. balticum, S. bartlettianum, S. beothuk, S. bergianum, S. brevifolium, S. capillifolium, S. carolinianum, S. centrale, S. compactum, S. contortum, S. cribrosum, S. cuspidatum, S. cyclophyllum, S. fallax, S. fimbriatum, S. fitzgeraldii, S. flavicomans, S. flexuosum, S. fuscum, S. girgensohnii, S. henryense, S. imbricatum, S. inexspectatum, S. inundatum, S. isoviitae, S. jensenii, S. junghuhnianum, S. kenaiense, S. lenense, S. lescurii, S. lindbergii, S. macrophyllum, S. magellanicum, S. majus, S. mcqueenii, S. mendocinum, S. microcarpum, S. mirum, S. mississippiense, S. molle, S. obtusum, S. oregonense, S. orientale, S. pacificum, S. papillosum, S. perfoliatum, S. perichaetiale, S. platyphyllum, S. portoricense, S. pulchrum, S. pylaesii, S. quinquefarium, S. recurvum, S. riparium, S. rubellum, S. rubiginosum, S. rubroflexuosum, S. russowii, S. sitchense, S. splendens, S. squarrosum, S. steerei, S. strictum, S. subfulvum, S. subnitens, S. subsecundum, S. subtile, S. talbotianum, S. tenellum, S. tenerum, S. teres, S. torreyanum, S. trinitense, S. tundrae, S. viride, S. warnstorfii, S. wilfii, S. wulfianum
S. affine, S. alaskense, S. andersonianum, S. angermanicum, S. angustifolium, S. annulatum, S. aongstroemii, S. arcticum, S. atlanticum, S. austinii, S. balticum, S. bartlettianum, S. beothuk, S. bergianum, S. brevifolium, S. capillifolium, S. carolinianum, S. centrale, S. compactum, S. contortum, S. cribrosum, S. cuspidatum, S. cyclophyllum, S. fallax, S. fimbriatum, S. fitzgeraldii, S. flavicomans, S. flexuosum, S. fuscum, S. girgensohnii, S. henryense, S. imbricatum, S. inexspectatum, S. inundatum, S. isoviitae, S. jensenii, S. junghuhnianum, S. kenaiense, S. lenense, S. lescurii, S. lindbergii, S. macrophyllum, S. magellanicum, S. majus, S. mendocinum, S. microcarpum, S. mirum, S. mississippiense, S. molle, S. obtusum, S. oregonense, S. orientale, S. pacificum, S. palustre, S. papillosum, S. perfoliatum, S. perichaetiale, S. platyphyllum, S. portoricense, S. pulchrum, S. pylaesii, S. quinquefarium, S. recurvum, S. riparium, S. rubellum, S. rubiginosum, S. rubroflexuosum, S. russowii, S. sitchense, S. splendens, S. squarrosum, S. steerei, S. strictum, S. subfulvum, S. subnitens, S. subsecundum, S. subtile, S. talbotianum, S. tenellum, S. tenerum, S. teres, S. torreyanum, S. trinitense, S. tundrae, S. viride, S. warnstorfii, S. wilfii, S. wulfianum
Synonyms S. cymbifolium
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1106. (1753) R. E. Andrus: Sida 22: 959, figs. 1–6. (2006)
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